Electrically Tunable Heliconical Smectic Superstructure in Polar Fluids

Fuente: arXiv
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Autori principali: Nishikawa, Hiroya, Kwaria, Dennis, Nihonyanagi, Atsuko, Sano, Koki, Yoshida, Hiroyuki, Araoka, Fumito
Natura: Preprint
Pubblicazione: 2025
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author Nishikawa, Hiroya
Kwaria, Dennis
Nihonyanagi, Atsuko
Sano, Koki
Yoshida, Hiroyuki
Araoka, Fumito
author_facet Nishikawa, Hiroya
Kwaria, Dennis
Nihonyanagi, Atsuko
Sano, Koki
Yoshida, Hiroyuki
Araoka, Fumito
contents Ferroelectric nematic (NF) phase and related polar liquid-crystalline phases form a new class of strongly polarized yet fluid soft matter. Well-recognized heliconical ferroelectric phases such as NTBF and SmC_P^H exist, but their electro-optic functionality in smectic systems has been largely unexplored. Here, we report a newly designed single-component achiral molecule exhibiting a hierarchical polar phase sequence: SmAF-NTBF-HEC-SmC_P^H. The key feature of the SmC_P^H phase is its ability to form a stable macroscopic orientation without any alignment layers and to enable continuous, reversible pitch modulation over a wide spectral range at ultralow electric fields, approximately one-third of those required for conventional heliconical nematics. The system exhibits characteristic electro-optic properties in the sub-kilohertz range, differentiating it from heliconical materials controlled by dielectric-elastic balance at higher frequencies. In addition, the SmC_P^H phase's polar heliconical smectic structure facilitates enhanced second-harmonic generation via favorable phase matching, thereby establishing a simple and robust platform for low-voltage photonic applications.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2512_05517
institution arXiv
publishDate 2025
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Electrically Tunable Heliconical Smectic Superstructure in Polar Fluids
Nishikawa, Hiroya
Kwaria, Dennis
Nihonyanagi, Atsuko
Sano, Koki
Yoshida, Hiroyuki
Araoka, Fumito
Soft Condensed Matter
Optics
Ferroelectric nematic (NF) phase and related polar liquid-crystalline phases form a new class of strongly polarized yet fluid soft matter. Well-recognized heliconical ferroelectric phases such as NTBF and SmC_P^H exist, but their electro-optic functionality in smectic systems has been largely unexplored. Here, we report a newly designed single-component achiral molecule exhibiting a hierarchical polar phase sequence: SmAF-NTBF-HEC-SmC_P^H. The key feature of the SmC_P^H phase is its ability to form a stable macroscopic orientation without any alignment layers and to enable continuous, reversible pitch modulation over a wide spectral range at ultralow electric fields, approximately one-third of those required for conventional heliconical nematics. The system exhibits characteristic electro-optic properties in the sub-kilohertz range, differentiating it from heliconical materials controlled by dielectric-elastic balance at higher frequencies. In addition, the SmC_P^H phase's polar heliconical smectic structure facilitates enhanced second-harmonic generation via favorable phase matching, thereby establishing a simple and robust platform for low-voltage photonic applications.
title Electrically Tunable Heliconical Smectic Superstructure in Polar Fluids
topic Soft Condensed Matter
Optics
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2512.05517